Allen



MPETERS. PHOTO-UTHQGHAPHIH. WASHINGTON. D. C.

@einen gisten stmt @fitte Sil-).NEY ALLEN, OF NEWTON, AND JAMES P. SNOW, 40F ROXBURY, MASSA cHUsE'rrs.

Letters Patent No. 69,741, [lated Oetoer 15, 1867.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERNz Be it known that we,` SIDNEY ALLEN, of Newton, in the county ot' Middlesex, and State o't' Massachusetts, and JAMES P. SNOW, of Roxbury, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Switch for Horse-Railroads; and-we do hereby declare that the followingl is a i'ull, clear, and exact description thereof', which will enable others skilled in thelart to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specifcation,in which- Figure 1 is a top or plan view of a car-frame and track illustrating our invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-section of the same taken through the line x x, tig. 1.

Figure S-is a vertical longitudinal section of the same taken through the line y y, iig. 1.

Figure 4 is a detail cross-section taken through the line z z, tig'. 1.

Figure 5 is a; detail cross-section taken through the line w w, fig. 1.

Similar letters` of reference indicate corresponding parts. v

Oui "invention has for its object to furnish asimple and convenient means, durable in construction, effective in operation, vand not liable to get out of order, by which the car can be guided in passingt'rom the main to a branch track, and which may be operated by the driver with his foot; and it consists in the combination of suspended pivoted guide-shoes with the frame and wheels of thecar'; in the combination of weighted ordroplevers, or their-equivalents, with the guide shoes and frame of the car; in the combination of operating levers with the drop-levers; and'in the combination of guide-blocks with the rails of the track at the points where the branch track leaves the main' ltrack; the whole being constructed and arranged as hereinafter more fully described.

A represents therails of the main track, and B and C the rails of branch tracks. D represents the wheels and E the frame of a car. F are shoes formed upon the rear ends 'of the arms f, the forward ends of which are pivoted to the bar or rod Sr, or to some other support attached to or forming a pai-t of the frame E of thc car. The rear part of the shoes F is suspended from the outer end of the levers H by means ofchains or rods I. The4 levers H are pivoted to the frame E of the car; or to supports attached-to said frame, and their inner ends are weighted so as to lift the shoes away from the track automatically. J are levers pivoted to the frame E oi' the car, the rear ends of which are pivoted to the inner ends of the weighted levers H, and their forwardy ends are bent upward, or have upwardly-projecting arms attached to them, which extend-up into suche. position as to be readily reached and operated by the driver with his foot. If desired, the weighted levers H may be replaced by a single balanced beam pivoted at its centre `to the frame E of thcl car, and having the shoes F suspended from and the levers, J pivoted to its ends, so thatby raising one end of said beam the other end, and-the shoe suspended'therefroui, will be depressed. K is a gudeblock attached to the track at the point where a branch track leaves the main track, and Awhich is furnished with a guide flange,- c, along its inner edge, so that as the shoe F is lowered it may come between the flange k and'Jthe wheel D and push or guide the wheel upon the side track. Thev flange AIt is bevelled or slightly dove-tailed', and the edge ofthe shoe is slightly bevelled to prevent thc said shoe from being pressed or slipping from. thesaid flange before it has guided the wheel upon the branch track. The block K rises abovel the ordinary level of the track, and its outer edge forms a shoulder, as shown in liig. 4, so that as soon as the wheel has passed off this shoulder to enter upon the branch track it will be enabled to return to the main track, the said shoulder acting as a guide until the wheel has fully entered 'upon the branch track. Llrepresents another forml for a guide-block. In th-is case the block does notextend over` the track, and consequently does not form a portion of raised track, but 'the same result iS Obtained by depressing or ho-llowing out the rail C and deepening the track forthe iiange of the wheels D, as shown'n fig. 5. If desircd, the lowerisurface of theshoes F may be corrugated, as shown in iig. 2,. to act upon the snow or ice that may collect along the inside of\the track.

Having thus described our invention, whatwe claim as' new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is 1.The suspended pivoted guide-shoe or shoes F, constructed as described, and' arranged to be adjusted between the wheel D and the -raised flange 7c upon the elevated track, whereby said wheel 4is crowded oli' the -ra'ised track,upon the branch track,vas herein set forth `for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of" the Weighted or drop-levers H with the suspended shoes F and friime E of the cur. substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose ser forth. l

3. The combination of the Operating evers J with the weighted levers II and with the frame E of thc cnr. Substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The raised and flanged guide-block K, constructed as riescribcr, connected with the rails of the track at the point Where the branch track leaves the mnin trfrck, substantially :ts herein shown und describedj :md fior the purpose ect forth.

5. The combination of the guide1iock L with the rails of the track nt the point where the brunch track leeres the main track, when used in connection iviih the depressed rail and deepened track, substantially as herein shown :rnd described, and for the purpose ser forth.

The :Lbtwe specification of nur invention signori by us this 19th tiny of June, 1807.

SIDNEY ALLEN. JAMES P. SNOW.

Witnesses:

ALEX. F. Renners., JAMES T. Gnfinni. 

